Martinez educator Paul Abbott is running for House District 131 on next year’s ballot.
Abbott is pursing the seat held by Rep. Jodi Lott, R-Evans, after Lott decided not to seek a fourth term.
The transportation director for the Richmond County School District, Abbott joins small-business owner Russell Wilder in the May 21 Republican primary.
Abbott taught students with disabilities for two decades before transitioning into administration, he said. For several years he taught in the Lowndes County system, where he was the 2009 teacher of the year.
“Teachers need the support of the Georgia legislature to protect them from the ever-increasing regulations that make their jobs even more difficult,” Abbott said.
He’s seen firsthand how Common Core and other overreaching policies have impacted education and will look for ways “to empower Georgia’s teachers,” he said.
Abbott is “extremely concerned” about Georgia’s growing teacher shortage and will look for ways to address it, he said.
Abbott said growth sometimes comes at a price. “It’s great to have growth, but we don’t need to lose our identity,” he said.
“Parents need choices and their voices to be heard. Biological males must be kept out of girls’ sports.”
Abbott earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Georgia Southern University, and his Education Specialist degree in school administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.
